Srinagar: A comprehensive field study conducted by the Kashmir-based NGO Save Youth Save Future Foundation (SYSFF) has found that over 90% of the 4,056 unmarked graves examined across north Kashmir belong to foreign and local terrorists, not civilians. The findings challenge long-standing claims of “mass graves” linked to alleged human rights violations.

The report, titled “Unraveling the Truth: A Critical Study of Unmarked and Unidentified Graves in Kashmir Valley”, is based on a seven-year investigation covering 373 graveyards in Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, and Ganderbal districts.

Major Findings

According to the study:

• 2,493 graves (61.5%) were identified as foreign terrorists, many of whom carried no documents to conceal their identities and networks.

• 1,208 graves (29.8%) belonged to local militants killed in encounters.

• Only nine graves (0.2%) were confirmed as civilians.

• 70 graves belonged to tribal invaders from the 1947 conflict.

• 276 graves remain unverified; the NGO has recommended forensic DNA analysis.

The researchers said the data sharply contradict earlier narratives pushed by various advocacy groups and international organisations that had described these as evidence of mass civilian killings.

Methodology

The team used GPS mapping, photographic documentation, official records, and community testimonies to build a verified database. Local clerics, gravediggers, residents, families of militants, and former militants were interviewed.

Historical Context

The study links the spike in unmarked burials to the period between 1990 and 2000, following the Soviet exit from Afghanistan. After 1989, Pakistan’s security establishment reportedly diverted trained fighters, weapons, and funding into Kashmir, leading to a rise in infiltration and foreign militant presence.

Rebuttal to Previous Claims

SYSFF stated that its findings “debunk exaggerated claims” of civilian mass graves and said allegations of systematic extrajudicial killings “lack empirical foundation.”

Lead researcher Wajahat Farooq Bhat said the report is intended to provide evidence-based clarity on an issue long surrounded by misinformation. He appealed for independent forensic verification of the remaining unmarked graves.

Humanitarian Appeal

The study urges Pakistan to recognise its nationals among the buried foreign militants and facilitate access for their families, calling the current denial “a humanitarian failure.”